“I did hear, and I’ve talked to Wolfgang about it, that they were planning on coming to all of us and putting together a big reunion tour with all of us.”
Michael Anthony said that he regretted the way things ended for Van Halen, noting how Eddie was planning a big reunion tour prior to his death.
For over 30 years, Michael Anthony had been one of the cornerstones of Van Halen. He had joined the band in 1974, after his college classmate Edward invited him to what ended up an all-night jam session, and had stuck with the Van Halen brothers through tick and thin — including David Lee Roth’s original departure, the Van Hagar glory years, the polarizing Gary Cherone era, as well as the ill fated sammy hagar reunion. Anthony finally departed one year after the Red Rocker, in 2006, to be replaced by Eddie’s then-15-year-old son, wolfgang — a move that proved rather controversial with fans at the time.
Asked about his biggest career regret during a recent interview with Get On The Bus, Anthony didn’t hesitate.
”The only regret that I have is how things, unfortunately, turned out for Van Halen… It’s a culmination of everything that happened or whatever, because when Van Halen was really firing on all 12 cylinders, we’re living the dream, it’s the fairy tale or whatever, and the first time it ended when Roth left the band, luckily Sammy joined the band and it was like a rebirth. And, obviously, the band was even bigger at that point or whatever. ”
“But the only regret I have is the way it all ended. It should have gone out with a fricking bang that shook the world, and it was more like a whimper, the way everything ended.”
Another issue that seems to be on the bassist’s mind is the notion that he never formally buried the hatchet with the late guitar hero and his old bandmate:
“Unfortunately Eddie and I never [made amends] — we had some issues, and I’m sure that if he had not passed when he did that we would’ve reconciled or we would’ve really calmed all that stuff down, because I did hear, and I’ve talked to Wolfgang about it, that they were planning on coming to all of us and putting together a big reunion tour with all of us.”
“And at that point in Ed’s life, I think he was a little bit more, like, ‘Hey, the past is the past. Let’s all… Fricking water under the bridge,’ that whole bit. But, unfortunately, it was not to be.”
Nevertheless, Anthony did get to resolve any lingering issues with Wolfgang. last year, he recalled a long conversation he had with the Mammoth leader the year prior:
“We talked, we sat and talked, and there was a lot of closure for me there. Valerie [Bertinelli, Wolfgang’s mother and Eddie’s ex-wife] was there. So it was a great night. Besides the fact that Wolf is a great guy, great musician, his band kicks ass. But, yeah. So at least we were able to do that.”
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